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Genie Gratto

@egratto.bsky.social
207 followers 424 following 275 posts
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Way back when I was a local reporter, my absolute favorite stories to write were ride-alongs (so much so that Fairfax County, Virginia's Board of Supervisors actually officially honored me for a Genie Gratto Day and cited me as the Ride Along Queen). But I never got to write a bar-along.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
At 53, I’ve watched a lot of literary magazines I loved quietly disappear. If I’m lucky, an Internet Archive capture is all that’s left. I want to help Off Assignment do the opposite this year and build a home that will ensure it’s around when I turn 63 and beyond. www.offassignment.com/tooa
Orange horizontal graphic with looping yellow and blue hand-drawn lines and arrows winding across it. On the left, dark brown text reads "Support off assignment," with "off assignment" styled as the magazine's logo. On the right, a yellow circle reads "$10,000 goal."
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Tomorrow, I turn 53. The only gift I want: help give @offassignment.bsky.social the digital home it deserves. They’re raising $10K for a new website, and I want to get them closer to the goal before my candles are out. If you donate, tell me so I can thank you! offassignment.com/tooa
Coral-orange graphic with two overlapping circles in the upper right: a yellow badge reading "10 Years of Off Assignment" curved around the magazine's monogram in blue, overlapping a dark brown circle marked "EST. 2016." Below, in dark brown, large text reads "Support off assignment," with "off assignment" styled as the magazine's logo.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Back in Iowa City, I heard Colleen Kinder read a brillant essay about a Cuba trip—dangerous, beautiful, stressful all at once. She founded @offassignment.bsky.social, amd I was in. It turns 10 this year and needs a new website. Join me and give here: offassignment.com/tooa
Yellow graphic with dark brown serif text that reads: "We want to raise $10,000 to give off assignment the digital home it deserves." The words "off assignment" are styled as the magazine's logo.
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Oakland Ballers @oaklandballers.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Did you know that Jimmy Claxton broke the baseball color barrier in 1916 with the Oakland Oaks — 31 years before Jackie Robinson debuted for the Dodgers? For Juneteenth we commemorated Claxton’s legacy — as he is also the first Black player ever printed on a baseball card. Long live Jimmy Claxton!
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Between a trip I'm taking tomorrow and additional travel I'm trying to book this weekend, I am so freaking frustrated by how #SouthwestAirlines has absolutely screwed the pooch on what was a customer-focused, usable airline. Now, it has zero value proposition to differentiate from other airlines.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
I'm going to a conference in Detroit this week, and I just looked at the weather and now I am absolutely rolling on the floor with laughter, because WTAF. 69 one day, thunderstorms another, 35 a different day. There's no packing for this, there's just living on hope and dreams.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
@doctorow.pluralistic.net Welcome! And when you're ready for another Surly Temple, my Wrinkle-in-Time-loving Burner kid is ready to serve you. ;-)
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
I polled folks over on LinkedIn about what they'd want a comms director to solve in 48 hours. Half said "develop key comms playbooks." But I think they were actually asking for something else. New post up on what I think that something else is... www.gwrites.com/blog/narrati...
gwrites.com
Narrative Clarity Builds Better Playbooks - GWRITES
Narrative clarity builds better playbooks. The playbook that follows from that kind of clarity holds up under pressure.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
This is one of the wildest headlines I have ever read.
mercurynews.com
Man claimed he was digging for gold while high in East Oakland when he found severed human legs, police say
Mystery deepens with Oakland’s second discovery of human remains in February.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Another day, another person's newsletter moving to...Substack. Every time this happens, I'm like, "What in the actual world? Why would anyone CHOOSE to get on Substack RIGHT NOW with other, better, less Nazi-supporting options available?"
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Your organization has a narrative problem, not a storytelling problem. New post on the difference between the two, and why it matters for nonprofits trying to land their communications with their key audiences.
gwrites.com
Your Organization Has a Narrative Problem, Not a Storytelling Problem - GWRITES
If your stories aren't curated effectively to support a narrative, the audience is going to have no idea what to think about them.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Sometimes you don't need six months. You need one strategic deliverable ready to use NOW. The 48-Hour Comms Director: Two intensive days. One high-value deliverable you can run with immediately. Why I built this (and what a foam roller taught me about constraints): www.gwrites.com/blog/introdu...
gwrites.com
Introducing The 48-Hour Comms Director - GWRITES
One deliverable. Three focused meetings. Minimal review cycles. But at the end, you have the key to unlock next-level communications.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
My 11-year-old son and I watched ”All That’s Left Of You” together this afternoon at our local community movie theater — it was absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful in multiple ways. As we returned to our car, he said, “I knew it was complicated. I just didn’t know how much.”
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This, in @motherjones.com today from @dessadarling.bsky.social, made me cry already this morning.
motherjones.com
How to resist like Minneapolis
Meet the block, shop the indies, and check on your people.
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Lit Hub @literaryhub.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Kao Kalia Yang on preparing for the worst in the face of ICE’s occupation.
buff.ly
Letter From Minnesota: “If They Take Me and Leave the Children…”
Today is Tuesday, January 27th, 2026. I got gas for the first time this year by myself. The gas station was mostly empty. I drove into the station, heart thudding in my chest. I did everything as f…
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Is it too cynical that, when I saw millions more Epstein files dropped this morning, my first thought was, "Oh, I guess we definitely are bombing Iran in the next 24-36 hours."?
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
YEP. @bart.gov I'm all for calling out wins and hyping up impact, an I know y'all are still trying to get ridership back that was lost during the lockdown era, but images are as much the communicators as words. It's SO important to think through the message in the pixels, not just the characters.
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Lit Hub @literaryhub.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
“Poetry is a testament to the failure of wolves.” An anonymous Midwest poet writes a letter to his daughter about the murder of a poet.
buff.ly
Letter to My Daughter After the Murder of a Poet in the Streets of Minneapolis
The author is a poet from the Midwest. At this time, he prefers to remain anonymous. * My dearest daughter, When the poet Lorca died, he died on a road of dust. Sad men killed him and his body disa…
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Marcus Samuelsson black-eyed peas in progress. So grateful to @alphaprep.bsky.social for initially flagging these in a newsletter — they are now an annual delightful staple! marcussamuelsson.com/recipe/black...
marcussamuelsson.com
Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Prep Details Total: 55 mins Yield: 8 to 10
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skooks @skookses.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Inevitably it was leaked www.thereset.news/p/breaking-h...
thereset.news
BREAKING: Here’s the 60 Minutes Segment Trump and CBS News Executives Don’t Want You to See
Hours before it was set to air last night, CBS News executives pulled the segment, but Canada’s Global TV app received it prior to broadcast.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Well, as someone who knows that marketers track unsubscribe rates, I think today, when the name has unofficially changed and they sent me an unwelcome half-off coupon to the ridiculous Museum of the Bible, was the perfect day to unsubscribe from the @kennedycenter.bsky.social's email list.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Mine eye doth fall upon a New York Times headline that reads "Woody Allen Is Not Sorry About His Friendship With Jeffrey Epstein," and I doth wonder, "Why are we even running down this particular disturbing tunnel, NYTimes?"
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Communications planning can feel daunting, but when you take time to do even just a little bit of strategic thinking, it sets you up for more proactive work all year long.
gwrites.com
Planning Your 2026 Communications Strategy? Start Here. - GWRITES
Taking a few small steps this week to build out the bones of a plan for next year will serve you well!
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Prepping to hold a workshop in about 25 minutes, and soundchecking with some jazz guitar by the late, great Mary Osborne, who joined my grandmother's traveling jazz trio when she was just 15. Don't know her? Check her out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Os...
en.wikipedia.org
Mary Osborne - Wikipedia
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Not me just making the connection that Taylor Swift was most likely referencing Emily Dickinson’s line “Far safer, of a Midnight—meeting“ in the first line of “Lavender Haze.”
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ash vs the evil dead @ashvalewrites.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
a poem I wrote recently about parenting, gratefulness, and community. Full text is also in the alt text ❤️
I am

In your area, 
With the boys, 
Can I bring you a coffee?

A grandpa to a little one
About the same age
Can I show you some pictures?

Going to get tickets
To that thing you like
Can you come?

Packing up clothes
That no longer fit my kids
Can you use them?

Making a blanket
For your baby
Can you let me know what colours you like?

Sorry,
Immeasurably, 
For your loss and
Can I hold your grief?

Sending you
Way, way too many
Instagram reels
Can I send you one more? 
It's really good I promise

Coming over with dad
And supper 
And fresh bread
And a fix for that thing you said was broken
Can you let us in?

And isn't that really what's being asked
Again and again
Heart to heart
Can you let us in?
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
My husband, after putting his lunch dishes in the dishwasher: “I was just thinking about @dessadarling.bsky.social as I put my dishes away.” <Beat> “Of course, I wasn’t just doing that because @dessadarling.bsky.social told me to.”
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Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.) RTs appreciated.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Out at karaoke in Oakland, and just saw someone perform a song in ASL. Love my anti-ableist, weird, inclusive, queer, punk beautiful community. It’s magic here.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
The news of Coach Beam’s death is gutting me. What an Oakland icon.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
I am deeply uninterested in the “Early Black Friday“ bullshit in my inbox today.
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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
I am interested in starting to hear from care workers on SNAP about your concerns. I'm @motherjones.com's disability reporter. Please be in touch. My email is jmetraux@motherjones.com and my Signal is juliametraux.49. Reposts are appreciated.
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Heyday @heydaybooks.com · 17/10/2025
Can the nation's best conservation tools survive? Josh Jackson, author of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙, explores what's at stake as our wild lands face threat of siege and sell-off.
hcn.org
What we stand to lose if national monuments fall - High Country News
National monuments across the West face unprecedented threats, making public voices and vigilance more crucial than ever.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
This film is so well-done. Such a gem. If you haven’t seen it…what are you waiting for?!
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
For the record, the very first appearance of "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way" was in the election booth in 2016, as far as I'm concerned.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Need to go to sleep, so of course my brain is suddenly fixated on pantoums and what I might do with the form.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
I have an actual, serious question. What is even the method for engraving messages on bullets before shooting them? How do those messages survive the logistics of the shooting? And is this “carve your literal message in the bullet” just a hot new trend? Was the metaphor not enough on its own?
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
What time is the rapture supposed to be happening in the Pacific Time Zone today? I don't want to have done too much work before it interrupts us.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Canceled our Disney+ and Hulu account tonight. Our bundle was through Hulu, and their survey did not provide an "Other" reason for cancellation, so I called in and had a lovely account services rep -- who knew exactly why I was calling -- open a case to record my feedback.
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Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.com · 18/09/2025
Disney learned nothing from Andor.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
"Last year, the Viñedos, or the Vineyards, made it to the playoffs of the Latin League in the Bay Area. But this year was different."
nytimes.com
Tucked in a Vineyard, a Field of Dreams Where Immigration Fears Fade Away
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Was shocked at the line this morning at Kaiser in Oakland for the flu and COVID shot. SO many people. Many seniors. Everyone I spoke with in line, including me, saw it as a sign of hope, maybe even a sign of resistance. Everyone was stoked to be there. (1/3)
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Despite all the horrors of the now, I am here to say this: I am getting a pedicure at a salon playing a spa-piano version of “Sweet Caroline,” and I am finding it hard not to soothingly whisper “Bah bah bah” and “So good, so good, so good.”
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
The thought of Eric Adams as the ambassador to <waves hands> ANYWHERE is causing my brain to scream and run in circles inside my skull. I know this Administration is fomenting many, many horrors. I'm not here to rank them all. This is just how I'm responding to this particular news alert.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
I cannot stop thinking about the woman on the bus this morning who, when her AirPod fell out and hit the floor, just picked it up -- FROM THE FLOOR OF A BUS -- and put it right back in her ear without even a nominal swipe along her pants or something. My ear canals are still cringing.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
I hate to be the bubble burster of the conspiracy theories, but the White House schedule for today showed Trump arriving at his DC golf course at 9:15 am. I highly doubt it was a Weekend at Donnie’s situation. Still curious about those Epstein files, tho.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Was trying to plan out a walk to a hotel using Google Streetview, and I hit a spot near the hotel and suddenly was INSIDE A ROOM WITH THE TV ON AND EVERYTHING, and that was extremely jarring.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Agreed. I will also sometimes say, "During the lockdown era," because, well, we've moved past that. But we are still in an active global pandemic, for sure.
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Genie Gratto @egratto.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
There's a @nytimes.com Op Ed today from Amy Klobuchar about Sydney Sweeney. Perhaps it says something Very Important/Very Interesting, but ngl...when I saw it the link, I said, literally out loud, "I do not give a fuck what Amy Klobuchar has to say about Sydney Sweeney." Those Epstein files tho...
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